It’s hard to believe that I’ve been home from my trip to Paris for over two months already. I’m still in a bit of shock that it happened at all! But I do declare that it is time (maybe even overdue) to start telling stories of all that I saw and experienced on this amazing trip. So look for more posts on my “voyage to Paris!”
The first stop on this journey: the Marché aux Puces St-Ouen de Clignancourt. On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, we headed off on the Metro to experience the biggest flea market in Paris. (We later found out that it is in fact the biggest flea market in all of Europe!) Sitting on the northern edge of Paris, the St-Ouen flea market is giant. You could spend a whole day up here and not see it all. The market is actually a cluster of buildings that house different styles of markets. Some are more like a mall, with aisles and little stores with things spilling out of them, and other areas are like outdoor malls, with little stores and open air passages. Those were my favorite, as they had the most eclectic collections of things. You can pretty much find everything you can imagine at St-Ouen, from $100,000 chandeliers to $.01 tube socks. My interests fell somewhere in the middle 
Once we de-boarded the Metro, we headed up the street to the market buildings. We got turned around and eventually came in the back way, entering one of the fancier open-air markets. Seriously, there is some amazing stuff here. We then entered one of the mall-style buildings, where I quickly spotted some items that needed to come home with me. Here I found some vintage buttons and a gorgeous belt buckle. There were also some beautiful trims, but I skipped those. Little did I know that vintage buttons were everywhere at this flea market. I didn’t regret my early purchase, as I still preferred them to most others that I spotted, but if you’re in the market for vintage buttons, wow, this is the flea market for you! I also spotted an adorable lamp with red apples on the shade. But the logistics of trying to bring home a lamp with a ceramic base and large round shade seemed too daunting, so sadly I had to let it go.
After wandering this building, clearly it was time for a crepe! (When is it NOT time for a crepe?) From there, we headed to the best of the open-air markets that is known for having a little bit of everything. Here I picked up seven skeins of vintage yarn that has started taking shape into a scarf (my first crochet project!), and three vintage postcards of pin-up ladies on the beach. They all modeled with their hands on their heads. I thought that was hilarious! These are soon to be framed and hung in my home. We also passed a little cafe where a man was belting some Edith Piaf karaoke. Classic.
I could have spent a fortune in this place, but I kept it under control. My companion only picked up an adorable vintage postcard for his daughter. We were trying to keep our spending in control, can you tell? Wandering these three buildings proved plenty for us, so we had a couple of celebratory beers (at a table on the sidewalk, of course) and headed back to the Metro to take us to our adorable apartment. On my next Parisian trip, I will return to St-Ouen for sure, and this time with a tad bit more money budgeted specifically for this flea market!
My loot:
